Jessica Howell, our intrepid Green Globetrotter, returns from the field (figuratively and literally) – where she visited Weleda’s 135 acres of biodynamic gardens in Germany – and files her third post, in an exclusive series about her quick trip abroad.

Equipped with warm towels, cotton cleansing pads and Weleda’s Almond Facial Oil, we got to work wiping away the makeup, sweat and oil deposited on our faces after a morning of harvesting gardens.

In a sunlit, white-walled conference room at the company’s Germany offices, we gently scrubbed our skin clean, patted on the contents of oil capsules and worked our fingers in massaging circles from neck to temple before finishing with a light layer of moisturizer. The process, which took no shorter than half an hour, lasted approximately 29 minutes longer than my own daily facial care regimen, which consists of a dollop each of face scrub and body lotion.

Turns out, I could use a tip or two in the skin care department. Most of my life, I’ve opted for the grainiest face scrubs I could find, thinking that by sloughing my skin I was keeping it smooth. Funny thing, explained Lilith Schwertle, esthetician with Weleda, even though bead-laden scrubs may make our cheeks glow momentarily, they can do major damage in the long run by continuously stripping away the top layer of our skin.

Instead, this European brand chooses to use facial cleansing lotions—liquids that look and feel a bit like cream, enriched with oils that provide antioxidants and essential fatty acids to maintain skin’s natural elasticity. I’ve been using the Wild Rose facial cleanser, toner and moisture cream for the past couple weeks and can vouch that my skin is softer… even in the dog days of summer, when most of my weekends are spent under the sun.

Packaged in pretty glass bottles and colorful tubes, Weleda’s lineup mixes the simple stuff of nature with the smarts of a global, pharmaceutically-based company. What I love most about the products, however, I didn’t have to travel to Germany to find… it’s the farmers’ market fresh scent that seeps out every time I twist off the cap of my Skin Food. It smells like all things good, and as low as scent ranks in the grand scheme of things, it makes me smile. And at 6:45 a.m., that’s a pretty inspiring feat.

[Find coupons for some of the line’s newer skin products at www.usa.weleda.com.]

The Series: Weleda: the Company (7.23.10)
Weleda:  a Visit to the Gardens (7.28.10)